“I Must by All Means Keep This Coming Feast in Jerusalem”

This statement was made by Paul found in Acts 18:21. With the upcoming fall Festivals of God just right around the corner, will you have the same conviction as Paul had?

While it is most probably that the feast Paul was talking about here is Passover, we cannot deny the conviction and powerful commitment he had in keeping God’s festivals mentioned in Leviticus 23. In almost just a month later, we will again observe the Feast of Trumpets (September 5), Day of Atonement (September 14), Feast of Tabernacles (September 19-25), and The Last Great Day (September 26).

Is keeping the feast worth it?

Looking through the eyes of faith, the answer to this question is absolutely YES. Keeping the feast comes with a promise from God. He promises us blessings and lasting happiness whenever we follow His mandated feasts.

I know it is never easy to follow God as long as we are in the human flesh. The Christian way of life is never easy because it is a DEMANDING CALLING. It demands a hundred percent from us. But God will never leave us nor forsake us. He will never give us a test that we cannot handle:

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (I Corinthians 10:13).

Now that the Feasts are fast approaching, Satan will do everything at his disposal to prevent us from keeping the Feasts. He is very angry and uncomfortable whenever the Feasts of God is coming because he knows that these Feasts will bring us closer to God and know God even more.

Satan is powerful but God is even more POWERFUL. We have a bigger God and as long as we follow Him, we can be confident that satan will never prevail against us.

God will fight the battle for you

Paul suffered many things in the name of God.

There is no doubt that most of us face many troubles when we keep the Feast. Some may lose their jobs. For students, they may have low grades. Some may face persecution from their unbelieving families. Others may face ridicule from their circle of friends. But will these keep us from keeping the feast?

The apostle Paul faced death and many times, death stared him right between his eyes. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27, Paul listed everything he has gone through just to follow to God’s will for him. He said:

in labors more abundant…

in stripes above measure…

in prisons more frequently…

in DEATH often…

five times he received forty stripes minus one…

three times, he was beaten with rods…

he was once stoned…

three times he was shipwrecked…

he was in the deep for a day and night…

he was always in journeys…

in perils of waters…

perils of robbers…

perils of his own countrymen…

in perils of the Gentiles…

in perils in the city…

in perils of the wilderness…

in perils in the sea…

in perils among false brethren…

in weariness and toil…

in sleeplessness often…

in hunger and thirst…

in fastings often…

in cold and nakedness…

besides the other things what comes upon him daily…

When you start to go through this list, one cannot stop and imagine the sufferings Paul has gone through. This is undeniably a very long list and I am sure that none of us will compare to what Paul had experienced. Thus, we should never have any excuse that we will not be there for the feast. Truly, after all what Paul went through, he never wavered to his conviction and was still able to say, “I must by all means keep the Feast!”

Will we have the same commitment?

If you don’t keep the Feast, what will happen?

You might get good grades, get the approval of your family, friends, teachers, boss, and even have to keep your job. But what does that have to say to our faith? What profits a man if he gains the whole world and yet losses his own salvation? Are you going to exchange your salvation to temporary and earthly things? God is offering us eternity… but, if we are going to put earthly things between us following God, we are rejecting what God is offering.

Just like what Paul said, he counted all these earthly things as COW’S DUNG (Philippians 3:8)! All the world has to offer you are only rubbish and nothing compared to what God has offered to us.

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (I Corinthians 2:9).

We might lose something in exchange to keeping the Feast but God is faithful who will never let us lose everything. Keep the feast and do what God has to say. LET GOD FIGHT THE BATTLE FOR YOU. Do not limit God by the choices you made. He can work miracles for you if you let Him. Once you have done your part, God will do His part. Learn to trust God for we walk by faith and not by sight.

It is my sincerest hope that all of us will say, “I must by all means keep the feast!” and see each other during the feast.